Hi! I'm a teen ready to reach my full potential!

[ChangingChild]

Hello everyone! I'm a 17 year old full time student. My great loves are art and animals.

I've known about the raw vegan diet for a year or two, and seen the amazing results. My friends and my mother took a class about it during a conference, and I was fascinated to hear what they had to say about it! I've read some books and been around 100% raw fooders, but I never could give up the standard american diet.

Well, this morning I woke up knowing something was different. I realized I am ready and eager to go raw! I've gone a full 24 hours totally raw, which isn't much, but still a good start. I feel very empowered. I went through the pantry and split it up into raw and processed.

So now begins my journey! I'm glad I found this forum, I know that it'll help me grow into this new lifestyle of raw. I look forward to meeting new people and growing together!

Eh, and some things about me. I love roses, swim flippers, and emerald green. None of that yellow-green or olive-green. :P

[klomasius]

Welcome vibrant person!

Sounds like you have the right attitude. :)

Great to see someone starting so young, wish I'd have started that young!

[ChangingChild]

Thank you Klomasius for the warm welcome! I know I'm very lucky to be starting this young, and I'm glad I have this knowledge to share with my friends and family. :)

[somelikeitraw]

Hi ChangingChild! :::waves::: Welcome to RFT! :)

24 hours raw IS an accomplishment, don't you doubt that. How awesome to be starting raw at 17! You'll find lots of us here that wish we had started when we were your age.

You may be able to help those of us with teens that we would like to empower with a raw food lifestyle. My 14 yo DD is not totally closed to tasting a raw dish now & then but not interested in going raw. Perhaps you can share what attracted you to raw? I'm thinking if I could see things from her (a younger) point of view maybe that would help?

This is a fantastic place with wonderfully supportive people. Glad you're here!

[katchmoleen]

Will your mom be raw with you? My teen daughter and I are raw and it really bonds us. She stayed raw all through travelling with her volleyball team and taking second at state last year. Now she will be off to college this fall with a volleyball scholarship and eating in the cafeteria. She is not sure at this point whether she can stay 100% but will continue high raw.

[CathyA.]

good for you. it seems that there are more young people joining lately. wish I would have started at your age. welcome. glad to have you here.

[ChangingChild]

Thank you for the welcome, somelikeitraw! Hmm. Two things drew me into this lifestyle. One is that I know several raw fooders, and I've seen the changes in them. They've made me incredible dishes and I love staying at their houses because there is so much fresh fruit. (I'm a sugar addict. ) But the main reason is that I am personally ready to change. I have terrible mood swings unless I'm on birth control, and I hate being on medication. I know that eating raw will be very helpful in weaning myself off. Do you have sit down dinners with your teen? My mother, who is mostly raw, used to serve my brother and me one cooked dish and then beautiful plates of fresh fruit and veggies. We loved it. Also, cacao dishes are really appealing, but that probably goes without saying. Just keeping fresh foods around for snacks is great. My advice would be to educate DD as much as you can about raw, make it avaliable, and don't pile on the pressure. Oh, and as well as giving reasons raw is good, give reasons why processed is bad. Well, there you have it. My young, inexperienced advice. Katchmoleen, my mom tries to stay as raw as possible. I've made her three raw recipes so far, and she is really jumping on the bandwagon. Like your daughter, I'm heading off to college next semester. Hopefully I'll be able to stay raw...I guess we'll both see how that works! Does she have an account on this forum? I'm glad you and your daughter bond over eating raw, I think mother-daughter bonds are beautiful.
Cathy, thank you for the welcome. :)

[islesgirl]

ChangingChild - you sound like a gem!
You make me miss my daughter. She is a gem too.

I am another one who wishes I'd known about raw when I was your age. You are so welcome here. You will like this bunch, I am sure.

[lavendarJ]

Just saying hello! Blessings and Joy to Ya!

[ChangingChild]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, islesgirl and lavender! Already this forum has been so helpful. I'm so glad I found it.

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW..........Welcome to MY World.